Medical Marijuana Groups File Brief In Support Of Mendocino’s Refusal to Turn Over Cultivation Records to Feds

By
Johnny Green, The Weed Blog
on January 3, 2013

Three medical marijuana groups have teamed up to support Mendocino County officials in their effort to fight a sweeping federal subpoena filed in October, seeking “any and all records” for the county’s medical marijuana cultivation program, otherwise known as County Code 9.31. On December 21st, Mendocino County filed a motion in San Francisco federal court to quash the Justice Department’s subpoena, and today Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the Emerald Growers Association (EGA), and California NORML filed a joint amicus ‘friend of the court’ brief in an attempt to protect the private patient records being sought. A hearing in the case is scheduled for 2pm on January 4th, before federal District Court Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco.

“Despite telling Americans that medical marijuana patients are not being targeted, the Obama Administration’s contempt for them and its intent to undermine California’s medical marijuana law has been laid bare with this subpoena,” said ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford, who co-authored the amicus brief filed today. “Mendocino County is completely justified in its refusal to cooperate with the grand jury subpoena and we’re proud to support the county officials in that effort.” The amicus brief called the subpoena “needlessly broad” and argued it would have “serious and longstanding repercussions” by “reveal[ing]privileged and confidential medical information…[and]undermin[ing]the County’s considered and thoughtful attempts to regulate medical marijuana pursuant to state law.”

In what has turned into one of the fiercest battlegrounds between California officials and the Obama Administration, the U.S. Justice Department has aggressively gone after one of the only cultivation registration programs in the state. Before the program was shut down in March due to threats of federal injunctions from U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag, registrants were allowed to collectively grow up to 99 plants and were sold zip ties for $50 per plant to show they were being cultivated in compliance with state law.

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Comments

6 Comments

Anonymous on
January 16, 2013 5:54 am

Just a bunch of ignorance :/ People are pathetic nowadays.

Anonymous UK on
January 6, 2013 4:15 pm

It’s not even a war on the harm done by drugs. It’s a war on people – who need or want marijuana. How does Melinda Haag ever justify this hate campaign because it certainly does nothing to eradicate marijuana use.

Mrs. Ratsrectum on
January 4, 2013 10:33 pm

Burn all the records, even the electronics. Put the paper, flash drives, hard drives, everything in a cremation chamber, and burn the shit out of everything. Smash the shit out of anything left over that hasn’t completely turned to ashes, such as the hard drive, and run it through the cremation process a few more times. Soak whatever electronics that did not turn to ashes enough in acid, then take it to a body of water and scatter it over a different points not too close to one another.

Oops, federal bitches, it’s gone.

Anonymous on
January 4, 2013 6:47 am

Money is also no object because they can still take taxes from the majority who want medical cannabis and use that against you, even despite the science surrounding cannabis and chrones disease. Anyone caught growing for medical reasons, even if because you can not afford to buy it from the licensed suppliers would qualify for mandatory minimum, which should pretty quickly be ruled unconstitutional in court.

Anonymous on
January 4, 2013 2:00 am

This is why, even though I have a legitimate reason to obtain a medical marijuana license having Crohn’s disease, I have not filled any papers to obtain a license. It is hard enough finding a doctor in Canada to agree to put their signature on the forms every year. I did not want a target on me from the government and police for any present and future harassment. When it comes time for the new grow laws to kick in you can bet the RCMP and cops will be busting down the doors of every past and present licensed patient. Harper wants to jail all pot smokers. Even pedophiles get a lighter sentence. Money is no object as they will seize all our properties to pay for it.